Defense Daily reports, “An XQ-58A Valkyrie autonomous unmanned combat aircraft equipped with an electronic attack payload successfully demonstrated suppression of enemy air defense (SEAD) capabilities with two F-35 fighters in a recent live flight test event at Eglin AFB, Fla., Kratos…”
Full Story (Defense Daily)
Tag: USAF
2024 AIAA DEFENSE Forum to Focus on Accelerating Technology Transition for Battlespace Dominance
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 22, 2024 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) has announced its three-day program for the 2024 AIAA DEFENSE Forum, 16–18 April at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland. This year’s program will explore the critical role of the science and technology community in providing innovative and operationally relevant capabilities to dominate the battlespace. This Secret/NOFORN event provides the ideal venue for leaders from government, military, industry, and academia to advance and accelerate innovation. Registration for the 2024 AIAA DEFENSE Forum is open to the national security community.
“We believe it’s more important than ever for the science and technology community to gather for the 2024 AIAA DEFENSE Forum for discussion and debate on the most pressing strategic, programmatic, and technical topics and national security policy issues. The intimate, classified discussions and interaction among sectors are crucial to developing and fielding solutions for the warfighter,” said AIAA CEO Dan Dumbacher.
The speakers and panelists participating in the 2024 AIAA DEFENSE Forum are proven leaders and innovators within the industry. Confirmed speakers include:
- Angela Ambrose, GM Defense
- Samuel Bendett, CNA
- Kimberly Caldwell, Spirit AeroSystems
- Anthony Di Stasio, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment
- Jay Dryer, Strategic Capabilities Office
- Col. Edward Ferguson, USAF, U.S. Space Command
- Shawn Fetterolf, Intel Federal
- Mark Glenn, Joint Hypersonic Transition Office, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Science and Technology (OASD(S&T))
- Maynard A. Holliday, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering
- Marcia Holmes, U.S. Department of Defense
- George Ka’iliwai III, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command
- Aaron Kofford, DARPA
- Khoi Nguyen, U.S. Cyber Command
- Heidi C. Perry, MIT Lincoln Laboratory
- Col. Ryan Simms, USAF, Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force, International Affairs
- Sonny Tahiliani, RTX Ventures
- Robert Taylor, U.S. Strategic Command
- Lt. Gen. L. Neil Thurgood, USA (Ret.), Anduril Industries
The forum technical sessions will provide an in-depth discussion of technical topics, including Strategic Missile Systems; Digital Engineering; Guidance, Navigation, Control and Estimation; High-Maneuverability and Hypersonic Systems and Technologies; and Autonomy, Collaborative Engagement, Machine Intelligence, and Robotic and Uncrewed Systems.
For the most up-to-date program and registration information, visit aiaa.org/defense.
Media contact: Rebecca B. Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270
About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit aiaa.org, or follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Instagram.
AIAA Mourns the Passing of Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Stafford
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 18, 2024 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) issued the following statement by AIAA CEO Dan Dumbacher:
“The AIAA community is saddened to learn of the passing of Lt. Gen. Thomas P. Stafford, USAF. As a pilot who pushed the boundaries of air and space, he contributed in profound ways to our body of technical knowledge, as well as through his decades of leadership. He was a giant in the aerospace community and future generations will continue to stand on his shoulders. We were thrilled to name him an AIAA Fellow in 1977. It has been an extreme honor to work with Lt. Gen. Stafford over the years. His knowledge and superlative leadership influenced the future of space exploration and aerospace for decades to come.
Lt. Gen. Stafford’s leadership and participation in the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project were celebrated by the Institute with distinguished awards. He personally won the AIAA Chanute Flight Test Award in 1976 “for outstanding contribution as the commander of Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in furthering peaceful cooperation in the use of space in the international arena. ”
He and fellow NASA astronauts, Vance Brand and Deke Slayton, won the AIAA Haley Space Flight Award in 1978 “for outstanding performance as the United States flight crew during the Apollo Soyuz space flight, the first international manned space mission. Through their efforts, it was possible to carry out a significant cooperative venture with the Soviet Union in a space flight that successfully demonstrated joint orbital operations and tested a universal docking system, opening the way for mutual assistance in the exploration of the universe.”
His contributions as the commander of the Apollo 10 mission – piloting the lunar module near the moon’s surface and commanding the fastest vehicle known to humans at nearly 25,000 mph – directly led to placing humans on the moon. His legacy forms the basis for today’s Artemis program and returning humans to the moon.
The AIAA community sends our condolences to Lt. Gen. Stafford’s family and friends. We are immensely grateful for his contributions to shaping the future of aerospace.”
Media contact: Rebecca B. Gray, [email protected], 804-397-5270
About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit aiaa.org, or follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Instagram.
Role of CV-22s Under Review by U.S. Air Force Amid Grounding
Aviation Week reports “Air Force Special Operations Command is reviewing the role of its CV-22 fleet, focusing on if it is organized and equipped for safe operations, amid a three-month-long grounding of the fleet following a fatal crash.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
Boeing Expects Grey Wolf Helicopter Deliveries to USAF to Begin This Year
Air Force Times reports that The Boeing Company “expects to start delivering the Air Force’s first field-ready MH-139A Grey Wolf helicopters later this year.” In a Friday release, Boeing “said it finished construction on the first low-rate initial production Grey Wolf in late December.” That helicopter “also started its flight testing at Italian aerospace firm Leonardo’s facility in Philadelphia, the company said.” Boeing “said the MH-130 is continuing the Federal Aviation Administration’s certification testing process.” The Air Force “plans to buy up to 80 MH-139s to replace its fleet of 63 UH-1N Huey helicopters.” Security forces airmen “will use them to patrol the service’s nuclear missile fields, and the service also plans to use these helicopters to transport senior military officials.”
Full Story (Air Force Times)
US Aerospace Manufacturers Join USAF’s Autonomous Fighter Effort
FlightGlobal reports that three major US aerospace manufacturers “have confirmed they will participate in a US Air Force (USAF) effort to develop autonomous fighter aircraft.” Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman “have all been selected for the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program, the companies tell FlightGlobal on 26 January.” The three defense giants “join start-up Anduril, which confirmed its participation in the effort on 25 January.” The CCA program “aims to deliver pilotless jet aircraft that can be produced at a relatively low cost and fielded in large numbers to supplement crewed fighters.” The USAF “plans to team CCAs with a secretive future sixth-generation fighter platform, known as Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD).”
Full Story (FlightGlobal)
Pentagon Set to Move Forward with Replicator Drone Program to Counter China
Bloomberg reports the Pentagon “is likely to decide by mid-December what drones will make up the initial phase of its new Replicator program intended to deploy thousands of pilotless aircraft in 2025 to counter China’s numeric superiority in weapons systems such as ships, according to the Defense Department’s No. 2 official.” Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks “said Tuesday that the choices may not be announced publicly ‘because part of the program’s intent is to create operational dilemmas for China’ as to how best to counter the new capability.”
Full Story (Bloomberg)
USAF Wants Early CCA to Have Range Equal to or Beyond That of Fighter Aircraft
Aviation Week reported that the US Air Force “wants its early Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) to have range equal to or beyond that of fighter aircraft, with potentially aerial refueling capacity in the first increment.” Thomas Lawhead, the acting head of Air Force Futures and Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategy, Integration and Requirements, said on November 15 that the first increment of CCA will have range “relatively the same as the current fighter fleet, potentially a little bit longer.” The USAF is “now working through concepts of employment based on that range, and the uncrewed systems’ ability to provide missions such as electronic warfare, off-board sensing and additional munitions. While future tranches will be aerial refuelable, Lawhead said, there is potential for the first aircraft to have refueling capability ‘depending on the offer.’” The USAF is also “working to keep the costs of CCAs and related mission systems down as much as it can while still meeting operational needs. Kendall has said the cost would be about one-third to one-quarter of an F-35.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
USAF Conducting “Ground Taxi Activities” with B-21 Raider Ahead of First Flight
Inside Defense reports the US Air Force said that it is “conducting ‘ground taxi activities’ with the B-21 Raider ahead of the bomber’s first flight.” According to a statement from the USAF, “Rigorous testing is a critical step in the B-21 flight test program. … Extensive testing evaluates systems, components and functionalities. This testing allows us to mitigate risks, optimize design and enhance operational effectiveness.”
Full Story (Inside Defense)
Reliable Robotics Completes Study for USAF Examining Autonomous Flight
Aviation Week reports that Reliable Robotics “has completed a study for the U.S. Air Force examining retrofitting the service’s large multi-engine jets with its autonomous flight control technology and says only ‘modest’ changes would be needed to accommodate its systems.” The study “did not focus on any specific airframe.”
Full Story (Aviation Week – Subscription Publication)